The University of Almería continues its science outreach efforts with a new activity focused on the Rosalind Franklin rover mission. This vehicle, manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, is being prepared by the European Space Agency for its journey to Mars in 2028. Prior to its departure, the rover is undergoing tests in the iconic Tabernas Desert.
The talk, titled ‘The Rosalind Franklin Rover, from the Almería Desert to Mars’, will take place next Monday, September 28th, at 7:00 PM, at the Casa de las Mariposas, a well-known cultural venue in Almería. The event, organized by the University's Outreach Office, is open to the general public to present in an accessible way a space mission with a direct connection to the province.
The Rosalind Franklin rover is part of the ExoMars mission, with a planned launch in 2028 and an estimated arrival on Mars in 2030. One of the mission's primary objectives is to search for evidence of past or present life on the red planet.
The conference will be led by Susanne P. Schwenzer, Professor of Planetary Mineralogy at The Open University (UK) and a member of NASA's Curiosity mission. Schwenzer has experience in testing planetary exploration vehicles and in trials conducted in terrestrial environments that simulate conditions on other planets.
The presence of the ExoMars program in Almería offers a unique opportunity to bring space exploration closer to the public. The Tabernas Desert is being used as a testing ground for technologies and procedures for the future Rosalind Franklin mission. In the coming days, the European Space Agency, Airbus, and other European partners will conduct further trials with a rover prototype in the Almería environment.
The talk will cover the preparation of space missions, the objectives of exploratory vehicles, and the importance of tests in terrestrial Martian analogues. It will be presented from a science outreach perspective, highlighting the work of the teams and international collaboration in space research.
The activity is free until full capacity is reached and offers the chance to learn, from a researcher directly involved in planetary exploration, how the landscape of Almería serves as a preparation ground for a mission to Mars.
The conference will be delivered in English with consecutive interpretation by José María Calaforra, a professor at the University of Almería and member of the Hydric Resources and Environmental Geology Research Group.
